Sunday, 4 November 2012

Loggerhead turtle shells

Back home again after a wonderful time in Hilton Head, SC.
The weather was amazing, high 70's the whole time, except for the day before we left when Hurricane Sandy made it's presence felt with overcast skies and waves crashing along the beach.
On those sunny days the Senior Partner and I went for long walks along the shore stopping now and again to watch the tiny sandpipers dash around to avoid the waves whilst digging for insects and worms.
On two occasions we also spotted dolphins swimming quite close to shore.

Loggerhead Sea Turtles nest on the beaches of Hilton Head Island between May and August. An adult females will nest every two to four years, coming ashore between 4 and 6 times per season to lay eggs. Loggerheads typically nest at night, crawling to a dry part of the beach where females will dig a nest cavity with their rear flippers and deposit an average of 120 eggs. Once the eggs have been laid, the female throws sand to disguise the nest from predators and slowly returns to the ocean.

After about 60 days of incubation, the small turtles within the eggs begin to hatch. During the cool night, the 2 inch long hatchlings emerge from the nest, orient themselves towards the brightest horizon, and crawl towards the ocean. Once in the water, hatchlings swim many miles offshore where they will spend the next 25-30 years of their life growing to adulthood.

Coastal Discovery Museum, HHI, South Carolina.

The empty turtle horseshoe crab shells that wash up on the beach fascinate me and they are the subject of my mosaic this week.

After all these years of beachcombing I always believed that the shell belonged to loggerheads.
Now, Keetha has corrected me and proved me wrong!
They are horseshoe crab shells!Thanks Keetha for putting me straight.

I had hoped to join Mary @ the little red house for Mosaic Mondaybut like thousands of others along the East coast of AmericaMary is still without power and can only access the internet using her phone.
If you get the chance please stop by the little red house and give her a hug!

Birdie,the shells that wash in and out with the tide are, sadly, from dead loggerheads which have encountered one of the following: sharks, birds, fish, fishing gear, ingestion of marine debris, boat strikes, trash on beaches and pollution.The survival rate of hatchings is 1 in a 1000.Maggie.

After all these years of beachcombing I always believed that the shell belonged to loggerheads. Now, Keetha has corrected me and proved me wrong! They are horseshoe crab shells!Thanks Keetha for putting me straight.

Hi Maggie-Welcome Home! We are just getting home as well-- late last night. As we drove by HH we were reminded of the wonderful time we had with you both. Meeting you was both a treasure and a blessing.